Meet Cookie Bhoday: "Our friends said we'd love the lifestyle here - and they were right!"

Cookie Bhoday, VIVA's account manager at Moneycorp

Cookie Bhoday is a dynamic lady, constantly on the move with her role as Account Manager to key partners and lawyers keeping her busily networking and presenting solutions to help both businesses and private individuals save money.

Originally from southeast London, she moved to the Costa del Sol 10 years ago after some friends relocated to open a restaurant in Nueva Andalucía. “They persuaded us the lifestyle was for us and we had to agree!”

Cookie lives near the beautiful village of Benahavís, only a few minutes’ drive from Puerto Banús and Marbella. Her husband works as a Business Development Manager in the UK, but thanks to the Costa del Sol’s fantastic accessibility, they spend many weekends together, either here on the Coast or in London…

What is a typical day like in the office?

I get to the office at 9am, check my emails, and if our Regional Manager, Stephen’s, not here, I do our daily market update for Talk Radio. Then I make phone calls to existing and new agents, have meetings with agents and private individuals, look after existing clients and of course a lot of the work I do is involved with bringing in new business.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Riding my mountain bike along the paseo and generally enjoying the lovely lifestyle! I like discovering restaurants and new places to take my husband to when he’s here. I want to learn how to roller skate so I’ve just treated myself to some skating boots. I also love a brisk, energetic walk on the beach or in the countryside to recharge my batteries. I’m definitely not a party animal anymore, I just love entertaining friends at home.

Favourite trip within Andalucía?

We love to go skiing in the Sierra Nevada in the winter.  I also want to visit the Alhambra – can you believe I’ve lived here 10 years and have never been!

What do you love best about Spain/Costa del Sol?

The weather and lifestyle. Not having to commute on trains and buses. In August we tend to complain if we’re held up in traffic for 10 minutes on the coast road, yet back in the UK my husband was recently stuck on the M25 for 4 hours because there’d been 17 accidents!  Having the beach on the doorstep is fantastic, and so are are the chiringuitos serving fabulous seafood.  The views from our apartment – all the way to Gibraltar & North African coast – are absolutely breathtaking, whereas if you live somewhere like London there aren’t really any views. And even if you don’t have fabulous views from your apartment, then here on the Coast you can enjoy them even when you’re in the car!

Favourite restaurant?

The most amazing restaurant is Skina in Marbella old town, it’s very special… and for a day-to-day restaurant Bar Rafa (San Pedro beachside) which does the most fantastic monkfish kebabs.

Anything you miss?

Yes! I miss my family and my friends from schooldays. And shopping: I wish we had a bigger M&S food hall here. And I also miss good charity and vintage shops like on Kings Road.

The London restaurant scene: the amazing and endless choice of restaurants and all the funky bars. The problem for me here in Spain is that nowhere gets busy before 10pm and then it’s time to go to bed!

Having said all that, I wouldn’t go back to London to live though, and I absolutely hate the British weather.

Top survival tip for the Costa del Sol?

Take a deep breath and count to ten! Customer service in Spanish shops can sometimes be so frustrating, at times even infuriating. I find taking a deep breath also comes in handy when you’re driving. One of the many things I love is the way the people in Andalucía are so relaxed and laid back… and yet somehow and totally out of character, they suddenly morph into Fernando Alonso when they get behind the steering wheel!

Cookie Bhoday is Account Manager at Moneycorp, a VIVA RECOMMENDS Corporate Partner. Moneycorp have been dealing in foreign exchange since 1979 and have a network of offices in the UK, USA and Spain.

Moneycorp are experts at making your money go further. Visit their microsite for more information, or call them direct on +34 952 587 657.